Strip burster



Dec. 2, 1958 J. T. DAVIDSON ET AL 2,862,554

STRIP BURSTER' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 15. 1955 INVENTOR. JOHN T.DAVIDSON I3 I IQ E JOHN A. SCHMIDT BY JOHN H. KROEMER WM .Dec; 2, 1958J. T. DAVIDSON Ef AL STRIP BURSTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15. 1955INVENTOR JOHN T DAVIDSON JOHN A. SCHMIDT BY JOHNfl-jfOEMER U AflorneyUnited tates Patent Offi 2,862,554 Patented Dec. 2, 1958 STRIP BURSTERJohn T. Davidson, John A. Schmidt, and John H. Krocmer, Dayton, Ohio,assignors to The Standard Register Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporationof Ohio Application June 13, 1955, Serial No. 514,817 Claims. (Cl.164-845) This invention relates to strip or web feeding and severingapparatus, by which single or multiple superposed strips of material aredivided at predetermined longitudinally spaced intervals into asuccession of individual sheets, and more particularly to a generallynew burster blade mechanism operating in conjunction with intermittentstrip tensioning means whereby successively advanced terminal portionsof the strip material are tensioned beyond the tensile strength oftransverse weakened division lines within such advanced portions, suchterminal portions being thereby successively detached from the supplyportion of the strip or web.

In the use of record strip material, it is known to inscribe continuousseries connected printed forms, such as checks, utility bills, invoices,statements and other record sheets successively while keeping theprinted forms intact in the strip by passing the strip through a writingor imprinting machine. Subsequently the strip is divided betweensuccessive inscribed forms into individual sheets. To facilitateseparation, the record strips are provided with transverselongitudinally spaced transverse weakened division lines, upon which thestrips are bursted by being subjected to excessive tension.

The instant invention may broadly be considered to be an improvementupon or modification of the strip severing apparatus disclosed in PatentNo. 2,380,949 issued August 7, 1945, as well as the mechanism of PatentNo. 2,618,336 issued November 18, 1952.

The object of the invention is to simplify the construction as well asthe means and mode of operation of strip bursters, whereby such burstersmay not only be economically manufactured, but will be more efficientand satisfactory in use, adaptable to a wide variety of applications,and be unlikely to get out of order.

A further object of the present invention is to introduce a new conceptin strip severing practice according to which the strip is subjected notonly to a pulling tension but also to an abruptly terminated snap actionresulting in a more accurate and facile detachment of the leading end ofthe strip.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bursting blade assemblyoperable in conjunction with a strip tensioning mechanism to supplementthe applied tension with a tearing action directed specifically along atransverse weakened division line of the strip.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bursting bladeassembly arranged to enforce the formation of a slack loop in the stripand yielding to only a limited extent upon the attempted removal of suchslack loop.

Still another object of the invention is to provide burster blade meansoperating in conjunction with conventional strip tensioning means for abetter severing of the strip, which means is more simple and inexpensiveof operation and construction than like devices heretofore known.

A further object of the invention is to provide a strip bursterpossessing the advantageous structural features,

the inherent meritorious characteristics and the mode of operationherein mentioned.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will morefully appear in the specification, the invention intended to beprotected by Letters Patent consists of the features of construction,the parts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation ashereinafter described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings, ortheir equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawing wherein is shown one but obviouslynot necessarily the only form of embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of one end assembly of the stripsevering apparatus of the illustrated embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the strip severing mechanism of the illustratedembodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section, taken substantially along the line3-3 of Fig. 2 and showing the position of the parts prior to applicationof the strip tensioning force; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the position of the partsduring application of the strip tensioning force.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughoutthe several views.

Referring to the drawings, there is principally disclosed herein aunitary assembly of parts having a. pivotal mounting in a largerassembly, for example, the machine of Patent No. 2,618,336. The instantdisclosed assembly comprises substantially the whole of the stripsevering or bursting apparatus and is shown as especially adapted foruse in a machine of the kind disclosed in Patent No. 2,618,336 so thatreference may be had to that patent for a disclosure of machine partsand operations not here specifically illustrated and described.

Thus, the machine includes in part a rigid frame 11 (Fig. 3) supportinga shaft 12. In laterally spaced relation on the shaft 12 are arms 13 and14 rigidly interconnected by tie rods 15 and 16 and supportingtherebetween a pair of shafts 17 and 18 for relative rotary motion. Onthe shaft 17 is mounted a plurality of friction rolls 19 while on theshaft 18 is a sleeve 21 made of a relatively soft material and in effectdefining a single continuous friction roll. In respectively opposedrelation to the friction rolls 19 and 21 are friction feed rolls 22 and23 suitably mounted in the frame 11 for relative rotary motion and, inthe operation of the machine,

positively driven in a rotary sense at different peripheral speeds, theroller 23 being driven at a faster rate than the roller 22. Oscillatorymotion of the arms 13 and 14 about the shaft 12, it will be understood,will serve fric tionally to engage and to disengage the rolls 19 and 21relatively to the respective feed rolls 22 and 23. In the engagedposition of the parts the several rolls, it will further be understood,rotate in unison, with the pair of rolls 21 and 23 rotating more rapidlythan the pair of rolls 19 and 22.

Also on the shaft 17 are laterally spaced apart pin Wheel-bodies 24carrying radially projecting pins 25 on their peripheries. A recordstrip 26 is marginally perforated for engagement with the feeding pins25 and reaches engagement with such pins by motion in a right handdirection, as viewed in Fig. 3, passing beneath the shaft 12. The pinwheel bodies 24, like the rollers 19, are made fast to the shaft 17which in the operation of the machine is rotated in accompaniment withrotation of the rolls 22 and 23. There is thus a regular progress of thestrip 26 over the shaft 17 during operation of the machine and duringoscillatory movement of the arms 13 and 14, there being provided holddown fingers 27 strip 26 is lifted or stripped from the pins 25 byfingers 29- mounted on the tie rods ISand 1'6, and extending upwardbetween the shafts. i7 and 18. Also located between the shafts l7. andi3, and beyond the fingers 29. in the direction of travel of the strip,is a paper pan 31 suspended from blocks 32 on the arms 13 and 14. Thepan 31 is depressed beneath the plane of a line tangent to theperipheries of the rolls l9 and 21.. Beyond the pan 31, the strip 26passes over the roll 21, or more specifically between the roll, 21 andthe roll 23, the terminal portion thereof being received on and guidedby a' deflector member 33. V

In overlying relation to the paper pan 31 and to the strip 26 is aburster blade 34 extending as a bar between the arms 13 and 14 andpivotally mounted by pivot studs 35 in mounting plates 36 and 37 in therespective side arms. The studs 35 are offset toward one longitudinaledge of the blade 34 with the result the blade tends to rock about thestuds 35 in a manner to move the opposite longitudinal edge thereofdownward toward the paper pan 31. Tension springs 38 connect the blade34 to anchor points on the pan 31 and urge the blade in a rocking motionas described. So positioned, the blade 34 deflects the strip 26 into aslack formation in which it conforms substantially to the location andconfiguration of' the pan 31. Motion of the burster blade in theopposite direction, against the urging of springs 38, is limited by across bar 39 supported between the mounting plates 36 and 37.

The rolls 22 and 23 are, as noted, positively driven at different speedsof rotation. The shaft 17 also is positively driven, at a speed placingthe peripheries of the pin wheel bodies 24- and rolls 19 thereon insubstantially synchronized motion with the roll 22. The shaft 18 isjournaled between the side arms 13 and 14 so that the roll 21 thereonbecomes an idler roll having rotary motion only when frictionallyengaged with the roll 23. The rolls 21 and 23, because of theirrelatively greater peripheral speed when engaged may be termed snatchrolls while the relatively slower moving rolls 19 and 22 may be termedsnubbing rolls. The strip 26 is, as also noted, moved continuouslythrough the bursting or severing apparatus by the pin wheel bodies 24.The side arms 13 and 14- alternately occupy the position shown in Fig. 3wherein the rolls l9 and 21 are disengaged from their respective rolls22 and 23,.and the position shown in Fig. 4 wherein the rolls l9 and 21have been caused to approach the respective rolls 22 and 23 whereby toapply a gripping pressure to the strip 26 at longitudinally spaced apartpoints along the length thereof. In the position of the parts shown inFig. 3, the burster blade 34 enforces a slack formation in the strip inthe bursting area, which may be considered to be the area between therolls 19 and 21. Now, as the side arms 13 and 14 are raised to grip thestrip between the gripping or feeding devices represented by the snatchand snubbing rolls, the greater speed of rotation of the rolls 21 and 23tends to straighten the strip in the bursting area or to remove theslack formation therefrom. In the course of such movement, as seen inFig. 4, the burster blade 34 is rocked about the pivot pins 35 againstthe urging of springs 38 until it reaches engagement with the cross bar39 whereupon the rocking motion of the burster blade and thestraightening action of the strip abruptly are terminated. A tearingaction accordingly results, which is assisted by the tension placed uponthe leading end of the strip by the attempted acceleration of the stripby the snatch rolls 21 and 23. The leading end of the strip is in thismanner torn or separated from the main body of the strip and expelled asseparate sheets 26a from the machine. At the completion of each formseparating operation, the tension is removed from the strip, and thebursting blade is returned by the springs 38 to the position shown inFig. 3 where it is held short of frictional engagement with the paperpan 31 by a stop pin 41 engageable with an end of the paper pan 31. Asthe shaft 17 continues to rotate, the new leading end of the strip isprojected beneath the blade 34 and guided by the pan 31 over the roller21 in position again to be gripped between the rolls 21 and 23 whenthe'side arm assembly next is raised for the succeeding form separating orbursting operation. The lower edge of the blade 34, or that edgeengaging the strip 26 is cut away, as may be seen, to presentsubstantially a knife edge against which the strip may more readily betorn; It' will be understood that the parts are caused to operate insuch timed relationship to one another, and the strip 26 is so initiallyplaced in the machine, that the applied tensile and tearing actionsoccur at a time when a weakened or perforate line of the strip achievesa cooperative relationship with the described knife edge onthe loweredge of the blade 34.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thusprovided a device of the character described possessing the particularfeatures of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but whichobviously is susceptible of modification in itsform, portions, detailconstruction and arrangement of parts without departing from theprinciple involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has beendescribed in language more or less specific as to structural features,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificfeatures shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosedcomprise but one of several modes of putting the invention into eifect,the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modificationswithin the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. Strip severing apparatus for successively detaching terminal portionsof a strip along successive transverse weakened division lines,including series arranged longitudinally spaced apart strip feedingdevices, the forward one of which operates intermittently and at agreater peripheral speed than the other, means for guiding the strip ina curved path between said devices, said means including a burstingblade spring urged to deflect the strip out of a straight line betweensaid devices, operation of the forward one of said devices tending tostraighten the strip against the urging of said blade, means forabruptly stopping movement of said blade under straightening influenceof the strip, and means supporting said bursting blade for movement asdescribed.

2. Strip severing apparatus for successively detaching terminal portionsof a strip along successive transverse weakened division lines,including intermittently operating strip tensioning means, means forguiding the strip to said tensioning means including a burster bladespring urged to deflect the strip out of a straight lie to saidtensioning means, operation of said tensioning means tending tostraighten the strip and thereby to move said blade, means for abruptlystopping such movement of said blade, and means supporting said bursterblade for movement as described.

3. Strip severing apparatus for successively detaching terminal portionsof a strip along successive transverse weakened division lines,including intermittently operating strip tensioning means, means forguiding the strip to said tensioning means including strip feeding meansand means for producing a slack formation in the strip between saidfeeding means and said tens'ioning means, the strip tending tostraighten in response to operation of said tensioning means and saidslack producing means being displaced by said strip upon straighteningthereof, means to limit displacement of said slack producing means bysaid strip whereby abruptly to interrupt straightening movement of thestrip, and means supporting said slack producing means for movement asdescribed.

4. Strip severing apparatus for successively detaching terminal portionsof a strip along successive transverse weakened division lines,including spaced apart feed devices intermittently operated at differentrates of Spee a bursting blade between said devices spring urged todeflect the strip into a slack formation between said devices, a stoplimiting motion of said blade in one direction, said blade being movedin said one direction by the strip as operation of said feed devicestends to remove said slack formation, and means supporting said burstingblade for movement as described.

5. Strip severing apparatus, including longitudinally spaced apart pairsof feed rolls, the forward pair of said feed rolls being intermittentlyand differentially operable to tension the strip between said pairs offeed rolls, a burster blade bearing on the strip between said pairs ofrolls tending to deflect the strip out of a straight line path betweensaid pairs of rolls, said blade being movable by the strip in responseto differential operation of said feed devices, means for abruptlyinterrupting such movement of said blade, and means supporting saidburster blade for movement as described.

6. Strip severing apparatus for successively detaching terminal portionsof a strip along successive transverse weakened division lines,including a pair of oscillatory frame arms, longitudinally spaced apartfeed rolls supported between said arms, other rolls respectively matingwith said feed rolls to define spaced apart pairs of rolls, means forguiding a strip between said spaced apart pairs of rolls, a burstingblade pivotally mounted between said arms and extending between saidpairs of rolls, said blade bearing on and deflecting the strip in aslack formation between said pairs of rolls, a higher peripheral speedof rotation of the forward one of said pairs of rolls tending tostraighten the strip whereby to move said blade, and a stop supportedbetween said arms abruptly to interrupt such movement of said blade.

7. Strip severing apparatus for successively detaching terminal portionsof a strip along successive transverse weakened division lines,including a pair of laterally spaced apart side frames, a pair ofparallel spaced apart rollers supported between said side frames andover which a strip is advanced, a pan member supported by said framemembers between said rolls in offset relation to a straight line tangentto the peripheries of both of said rolls, a bursting blade pivotallymounted between said frame members and deflecting the strip into saidpan member, said blade being movable by the strip in response totensioning of the strip tending to restore it to said straight line, andyielding means urging said blade in a direction to deflect said strip.

8. Strip severing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized by astop supported between said frame members limiting motion of said bladeunder influence of the strip' 9. Strip severing apparatus wherein astrip is passed through a pair of series arranged intermittentlyoperating feeding devices, the latter encountered one of which operatesat greater speed than the former for tensioning of that portion of thestrip between the devices, a bursting blade intermediate said devices, apivotal mounting for said blade providing for motion thereof in adirection to deflect said portion of the strip to a slack formation,said blade being movable by the strip in an opposite direction inresponse to operation of said devices tensioning said portion of thestrip, and a stop interposed in the path of motion of said blade in saidopposite direction.

10. Strip severing apparatus, according to claim 9, characterized byspring means urging said blade in said direction to deflect said portionof the strip to a slack formation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,380,949 Davidson Aug. 7, 1945 2,492,497 Oakley Dec. 27, 1949 2,513,093Hageman June 27, 1950 2,618,336 Davidson Nov. 18, 1952

